Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 615, the Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act for three reasons. The bill would address interoperability among information technology systems and radio communications systems to exchange voice, data, and video in real time. First, the bill will save lives of first responders and those they seek to help. Second, the legislation is necessary to create a seamless level of communication among Department of Homeland Security components that are first responders to a terrorist attack, natural or manmade disaster; and finally to meet the technological challenges of bridging the communication divide between different communications systems used by first responders within the Department of Homeland Security. As a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I am well aware, as are many of my colleagues, of the essential and lifesaving role of communications during a crisis. Because the tragedy of September 11, 2001, was compounded by communication failures among the brave first responders who entered the burning towers that comprised the World Trade Center it has been an imperative of the Homeland Security Committee to address first responder communication interoperability challenges. The number of first responders lost on that single day was the greatest loss of first responders at any single event in U.S. History: 343 New York City Fire Department firefighters; 23 New York City Police Department officers; 37 Port Authority Police Department officers; 15 EMTs; and 3 court officers were casualties of the attacks. The need for this bill authored by Congressman Payne is evident. The City of Houston covers over a 1000 square mile region in Southeast Texas. It has a night-time population of nearly two million people, which peaks with over three million daytime inhabitants. The city of Houston's 9-1-1 Emergency Center manages nearly 9,000 emergency calls per day. The volume of emergency calls can easily double during times of inclement weather or special City social/ sporting events like Hurricanes Ike in September 2008; and Katrina as well as Rita, which occurred in September and October of 2005). Annually, one out of every ten citizens uses EMS. There are over 200,000 EMS incidents involving over 225,000 patients or potential patients annually. On the average, EMS responds to a citizen every 3 minutes. Each EMS response is made by one of 88 City of Houston EMS vehicles. In 2013, the City of Houston's fire Department lost Captain EMT Matthew Renaud, Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee, Firefighter EMT Robert Garner and Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan when they responded to a hotel fire. Throughout the history of the Houston Police Department over 110 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. Each member of the House of Representatives knows of the loss of a first responder who was going to the aid of those in harm's way. This bill will offer additional resources to the first responders of the Department of Homeland Security. The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to include among the responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Management responsibilities with respect to policies and directives to achieve and maintain interoperable communications among the components of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Under Secretary of Homeland Security would submit to the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees a strategy, which shall be updated as necessary, for achieving and maintaining interoperable communications, including for daily operations, planned events, and emergencies, with corresponding milestones, that includes: an assessment of interoperability gaps in radio communications DHS components, as of this Act's enactment date; information on DHS efforts and activities, including current and planned policies, directives, and training, since November 1, 2012, to achieve and maintain interoperable communications, and planned efforts and activities to achieve and maintain interoperable communications; an assessment of obstacles and challenges to achieving and maintaining interoperable communications; information on, and an assessment of, the adequacy of mechanisms available to the Under Secretary to enforce and compel compliance with interoperable communications policies and directives of DHS; guidance provided to DHS components to implement interoperable communications policies and directives; the total amount of funds expended by DHS since November 1, 2012, and projected future expenditures, to achieve interoperable communications; and dates upon which DHS-wide interoperability is projected to be achieved for voice, data, and video communications, respectively, and interim milestones. The bill ensures that the Department of Homeland Security would conduct a survey of intra-agency efforts or task forces that have been delegated responsibilities for achieving and maintaining interoperable communications, and report on the status of these efforts, including: progress on each interim milestone; information on any policies, directives, guidance, and training established by the Under Secretary of Homeland Security; an assessment of the level of compliance, adoption, and participation among the DHS components with the policies, directives, guidance, and training established by the Under Secretary; and information on any additional resources or authorities needed by the Under Secretary. This bill will ensure that the Department of Homeland Security's first responders are prepared to meet the challenges of manmade or natural disasters. I ask my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 615.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, this is a very important evening. I thank my colleagues, both Mr. Payne of New Jersey and Ms. Kelly, for, first of all, taking up a very important challenge of being able to lead the members of the Congressional Black Caucus through this period of challenge to America. I am reflective of the number of Members who have had the chance to convey their thoughts, and each one I thank personally: our chairman, Mr. G.K. Butterfield, for his leadership and his internal knowledge from his walk in life of the civil rights journey; Mr. Clyburn for living and understanding the civil rights journey and conveying it in his legislative journey; Mr. Rangel for his service to this Nation as a Korean war vet and then coming home to be a vet of the civil rights effort; then, of course, the holder of the seat who represents Selma for her life story. Today, I rise to ask the question, What is our moral standard? And, following the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, why we can't wait. This is a clarion call to my colleagues--Democrats and Republicans-- that, in fact, this year--of all years--calls for us to act. It calls for us to be able to understand why the Nation cannot wait and who is going to lift up the moral standard. The walk from Selma to Montgomery turned into Bloody Sunday. It was where a young man by the name of John Lewis stood bravely alongside names like Hosea Williams. It was, of course, a place where the world watched, and it became the stair steps on which the Voting Rights Act was passed. Today, we realize that, on the shoulders of that tragic time, violence claimed the life of Jimmie Lee Jackson, beaten by State troopers as he was attempting to protect his mother and others, and that violence claimed the lives of Reverend James Reeb of Boston and of Viola Liuzzo of Detroit at that time as she returned from the Selma march--a time when 25,000 strong or more marched across the Montgomery bridge. We understand that our job is yet not done. In the wake of the decision by the Supreme Court that crippled the Voting Rights Act, we as members of the Judiciary Committee, led by our colleagues Mr. Clyburn and John Conyers, sought to correct that crippling. Today, I stand and ask my chairman and the Speaker of the House to have us put that fix with the new Members, our Republicans and Democrats--the same body of individuals who President Johnson convened--to be able to ensure that that Voting Rights Act of 1965 could be done. It is important to note that we not allow the efforts to go unnoted. Mr. Speaker, the voter ID law in Texas needs to be corrected by passing the Voting Rights Amendment Act. The terrible oppression of individuals in their walks to the polls has to be corrected by this amendment. Of course, we must ensure against the horrors of wealth inequality. The median income of Black households is $33,764--a mere 60 percent of the median income for White households. Then, of course, we must move to criminal justice reform. I am privileged, Mr. Speaker, to serve as the ranking member on the Crime Subcommittee, and I join my colleagues in the commitment to ensure that we, in fact, answer the call of the mothers of so many, such as those of Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Bobby Tolan, Jordan Baker, and many others, that we have grand jury reform, special prosecutor reform, prison reform--the transitioning of nonviolent offenders to productive lives--law enforcement training and best practices. Yes, the bill that I introduced, the Build TRUST Act, will not give incentives to towns that rely upon racial profiling and on stopping African Americans and other minorities to build their revenue. Mr. Speaker, tonight, I have the opportunity to remind us that our walk is not done in wealth inequality, in criminal justice reform and, as I know that my colleague Mr. Green will mention, in the body cameras. All of these--closing the wealth gap and passing the Voting Rights Act--are challenges not to Democrats, not to minorities; they are to the Nation, to our Republicans and our Democrats. So I answer the question why we cannot wait: because Dr. King left us a prophetic message and a mountain to climb to get to the promised land. Tonight, as I close, I call upon all aspects of the beloved community that John Lewis so often speaks of--the youth who continue to persist in the streets of America, indicating that Black lives and all lives matter; women, the impoverished, the faith community, workers, and many others whose names I have left out. Today, I ask for them to join hands and march in the month of March in your own cities and hamlets and counties on an agenda of healing, justice, and equality in commemoration of the march of those who crossed on that bloody day but of those who crossed as well successfully from Selma to Montgomery. Do not sit in your seats. Do not sit in your homes. March in the month of March. Let me hear your voices. Let us see you. Let us join you. You call us, and we will join you in those marches to make a difference in this Nation. I ask for that to all of my colleagues tonight.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I rise in support of H.R. 423, ``The Social Media Working Group Act of 2014,'' which would establish within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a social media working group. The Social Media Working Group would provide guidance and best practices to the emergency preparedness and response community on the use of social media technologies before, during, and after a terrorist attack. Today, people are relying more on Internet enabled communications to engage and be engaged in personal, professional and commercial communications. Since September 11, 2001, our nation has committed resources toward the preparation of our first responders and citizens in preventing, mitigating and responding to terrorist events. As these efforts continue, we must keep pace with the rapid changing nature of the Internet. Part of this requires that Congress ensure that the Department of Homeland Security and especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency can reach citizens in new ways so that critical information is received in a timely manner. In 2012, smartphones, most particularly phones running Apple Computer's iOS and the open source Android operating system, accounted for at least 40 percent of the mobile devices used in the United States. In the first quarter of 2012, mobile phone consumers spent over $109 billion, while consumers of landline-telephone service spent $64.4 billion. The Federal Communication Commission reports that this trend is expected accelerate as United States consumers participate in a worldwide trend towards mobile communication devices and away from traditional means of receiving and sending information. Electronic tablet computers and e-readers, the other fully enabled portable Internet devices, smartphones are increasingly a resource for people to access information, share content, and communicate their views. Social media is quickly emerging as a major source of information that citizens rely upon to receive news and engage government. The number of people using social networking sites has nearly doubled since 2008. In a 2011, a Pew Internet Center Research Project reported that 79 percent of American adults said they used the Internet and 59 percent of all Internet users say they use at least one of social networking service, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram. The reasons for supporting this bill are obvious and I ask my colleagues in the House to vote for its passage.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 361, the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act for two reasons. First, the bill will save lives. Second, the legislation is necessary to support the vital work of first responders in the event of a biological and chemical terrorists attack or incident. The legislation provides for the development and maintenance of an initial pharmaceutical stockpile, including medical kits, and diagnostics sufficient to protect first responders, their families, and immediate victims from a chemical or biological event. The Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act will amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the use of Urban Area Security Initiative and State Homeland Security Grant Program funding for: enhancing medical preparedness, medical surge capacity, and mass prophylaxis capabilities. This legislation ensures that first responders have necessary medicines and treatments to protect themselves, their families and those within their vicinity immediately should a biological and chemical terrorist attack occur. In short, first responders will not be able to do the work of saving lives if they fall victim to an attack or are distracted by worry regarding how their family may be fairing during a biological or chemical attack should one occur. First responders often include law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and emergency medical personnel. The city of Houston covers over a 1000 square mile region in Southeast Texas. It has an evening population of nearly two million people and over three million during the day when commuters are in the city. There are 103 Fire Stations that serve the city of Houston with most offering ambulance or medic support, but there is only one station Number 22 that Specializes in Hazardous Material. In the city of Houston one out of every ten citizens use Emergency Management Services (EMS) and within a year there are over 200,000 EMS incidents involving over 225,000 patients or potential patients. EMS response services have 88 City of Houston EMS vehicles, with just under fifty percent staffed by two paramedics and can provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) to patients. These consist of 15 ALS Squads, and 22 ALS transport units with eight functioning in a ``Dual'' capacity as both Advanced Life Support and Basic Life Support (BLS). The remaining fifty-one transport units are Basic Life Support (BLS), and staffed by two Emergency Medical Technicians. Law enforcement agencies that serve the city of Houston include the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff's Department, Harris County Constables, Port of Houston Authority Police and Corrections Officers. Because of the nature of chemical or biological terrorist attacks mass casualties are the objective and the impressive resources of our nation's 4th largest city would likely be overwhelmed immediately should an attack occur it is important to provide them with the resources provided by this legislation. The prepositioning of resources in the form of medicines that can support pulmonary respiratory function or arrest neurological damage as a result of poisoning lives can be saved that could otherwise be lost. This bill can reduce deaths and give victims the greatest chance for survival and recovery. Emergency responders because of this bill would have treatments in the communities where they serve and live to help neighbors, co- workers, and people who are immediate need to live saving help. As a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I am mindful of the need for our first responders to be prepared and well trained to manage a wide range of potential threats both conventional and unconventional. This bill offers one more resource that will be available to first responders to do the work they have dedicated their lives to doing-- saving lives. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 361 the Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act for two reasons.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Today, Mr. Speaker, I sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control requesting an alert to the public that highlights the importance of our children becoming vaccinated for this outbreak of measles, particularly the MMR. The United States is experiencing a large multistate measles outbreak that started in California in December of 2014 and has spread to six additional States and Mexico. From December 28, Mr. Speaker, through January 21, 2015, 51 confirmed cases linked to this outbreak have been reported to the CDC: 42 from California and nine from six other States--three in Utah, two in Washington, one in Oregon, one in Colorado, one in Nebraska, and one in Arizona. But the spread of this is enormous. The most disturbing aspect of this outbreak is that 86 percent of the patients who have contracted the disease had either been unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. The outbreak is aggravated by the large number of children whose parents have chosen not to get the MMR vaccine. What I want to focus on, Mr. Speaker, is for us to be cautious and for us to be able to do the right thing. The saddest case was an 8- month-old baby in Arizona--innocent--who was exposed to the measles. I ask that we take this seriously, as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, and find a way to alert parents to make the right decision for their children. I will be continuing to work on this and have asked my own community to send out an alert to help save those children and the others who are vulnerable to the measles outbreak.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about the rule governing debate on this bill, H.R. 351, the ``LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act.'' Mr. Speaker, I am not anti-energy exploration. I am not anti-trade. I am, however strongly ``pro-jobs,'' ``pro-economic growth,'' and ``pro- sustainable environment.'' As a Member of Congress from Houston I have always been mindful of the importance of, and have strongly advocated for, national energy policies that will make our nation energy independent, preserve and create jobs, and keep our nation's economy strong. That is why I carefully consider each energy legislative proposal brought to the floor on its individual merits and support them when they are sound, balanced, fair, and promote the national interest. Where they fall short, I believe in working across the aisle to improve them if possible by offering constructive amendments. Although I believe the nation would benefit by increased exports of natural gas, the legislation before contains several provisions that are of great concern to me. Pursuant to Section 2, subsection (a) of the bill, an application for authorization to export LNG is ``deemed'' approved if the Department of Energy (DOE) or other federal agencies do not approve or deny the application within 30 days of the conclusion of the site review. I have three concerns with this regulatory scheme. First, as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I have a problem with ``deeming'' something done that has not been done in fact. Thus, the provision is unwise. Second, this provision is a remedy in search of a problem. There is no lengthy or intolerable backlog of neglected natural gas export authority applications awaiting action by DOE. The provision is unnecessary because DOE has to date authorized the export of over 10 billion cubic feet per day of LNG to non-Free Trade Agreement countries. Together with exports to FTA countries, this level of LNG exports that would transform the United States into one of the world's largest exporters. Third, the provision is irresponsible because it would require DOE and other agencies to make decisions based on incomplete information or information that may not be available within the stringent deadlines, and to deny applications that otherwise would have been approved, but for lack of sufficient review time. Supporters of this bill argue that it is vital, in the face of Russian aggression and restrictions, to provide our allies in Europe with additional exports of LNG. However, because actual exports through approved terminals are not expected to begin until late 2015, this legislation will have no impact on current exports. And, limiting the time for review would prevent DOE from properly analyzing the domestic impact that of exporting large amounts of LNG. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that increased exports could result in an increase of as much as 8% in domestic LNG prices. Given the inherent delicacy involved in assessing the impact of trade authorizations, both domestically and abroad, this state of affairs is likely to lead to DOE erring on the side of caution and denying applications that may otherwise have been approved if it had more time and more resources to carry out its responsibilities. For these reasons, I urge all Members to oppose the rule, and the underlying bill.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in opposition to H.R. 351, the ``LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act.'' Mr. Speaker, I am not anti-energy exploration. I am not anti-trade. I am, however strongly ``pro-jobs,'' ``pro-economic growth,'' and ``pro- sustainable environment.'' As a Member of Congress from Houston I have always been mindful of the importance of, and have strongly advocated for, national energy policies that will make our nation energy independent, preserve and create jobs, and keep our nation's economy strong. That is why I carefully consider each energy legislative proposal brought to the floor on its individual merits and support them when they are sound, balanced, fair, and promote the national interest. Where they fall short, I believe in working across the aisle to improve them if possible by offering constructive amendments. Although I believe the nation would benefit by increased exports of natural gas, the legislation before contains several provisions that are of great concern to me. Pursuant to Section 2, subsection (a) of the bill, an application for authorization to export LNG is ``deemed'' approved if the Department of Energy (DOE) or other federal agencies do not approve or deny the application within 30 days of the conclusion of the site review. I have three concerns with this regulatory scheme. First, as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I have a problem with ``deeming'' something done that has not been done in fact. Thus, the provision is unwise. Second, this provision is a remedy in search of a problem. There is no lengthy or intolerable backlog of neglected natural gas export authority applications awaiting action by DOE. The provision is unnecessary because DOE has to date authorized the export of over 10 billion cubic feet per day of LNG to non-Free Trade Agreement countries. Together with exports to FTA countries, this level of LNG exports that would transform the United States into one of the world's largest exporters. Third, the provision is irresponsible because it would require DOE and other agencies to make decisions based on incomplete information or information that may not be available within the stringent deadlines, and to deny applications that otherwise would have been approved, but for lack of sufficient review time. Supporters of this bill argue that it is vital, in the face of Russian aggression and restrictions, to provide our allies in Europe with additional exports of LNG. However, because actual exports through approved terminals are not expected to begin until late 2015, this legislation will have no impact on current exports. And, limiting the time for review would prevent DOE from properly analyzing the domestic impact that of exporting large amounts of LNG. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that increased exports could result in an increase of as much as 8 percent in domestic LNG prices. Given the inherent delicacy involved in assessing the impact of trade authorizations, both domestically and abroad, this state of affairs is likely to lead to DOE erring on the side of caution and denying applications that may otherwise have been approved if it had more time and more resources to carry out its responsibilities. For these reasons, I urge all Members to oppose the bill before us and urge my colleagues to join me.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, I rise in strong support of H.R. 515 International Megan's Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking. This legislation protects children from exploitation, especially sex trafficking in tourism, by providing advance notice of intended travel by registered child-sex offenders outside the United States to the government of the country of destination, requesting foreign governments to notify the United States when a known child-sex offender is seeking to enter the United States, and for other purposes. Child sex tourism, where an individual travels to a foreign country and engages in sexual activity with a child in that country, is a form of child exploitation and, where commercial, child sex trafficking. Human trafficking is a problem for the United States because the U.S. State Department estimates that approximately 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States, the largest number of people trafficked into the United States come from East Asia and the Pacific and the next highest numbers coming from Latin America and Europe. Law enforcement reports indicate that known child-sex offenders are traveling internationally, and that the criminal background of such individuals may not be known to local law enforcement prior to their arrival. The commercial sexual exploitation of minors in child sex trafficking and pornography is a global phenomenon. The International Labor Organization has estimated that 1.8 million children worldwide are victims of child sex trafficking and pornography each year. It is estimated 2.8 million children living on the streets of this nation are at risk for trafficking into the sex industry. Children who are abused or victims of molestation are most vulnerable. If they are lured into human trafficking they are isolated from the rest of the world and start living lives controlled by pimps, escort and massage services, private dancing clubs, pornographic clubs and much worse. The State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons produces the annual Trafficking in Persons Report (``TIP Report''), which is Congress' primary resource for human trafficking reporting, analysis and recommendations for the United States and 186 countries around the world. These kids are not criminals. They are victims, robbed of their innocence by adult criminals. They are boys and girls who have been taken advantage of and are unable to escape an ugly system. I support H.R. 515 because it is focused on helping at-risk and vulnerable children rather than treating them as criminals. Specifically, the bill requires that state plans for federal grants for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment: 1. provide procedures to identify and assess all reports involving children known or suspected to be victims of sex trafficking; 2. provide training for child protection service workers to appropriately respond to reports of child sex trafficking; and 3. develop and implement policies and procedures to connect child victims to public or private specialized services. Additionally, the bill requires States to report annually the numbers of children identified as victims of sex trafficking within the already existing National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. H.R. 515 also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress outlining the prevalence and type of child trafficking nationwide as well as the current barriers to serving child victims comprehensively. I strongly support H.R. 515 and urge my colleague to join me in voting for its passage which will help bring an end to the evil practice that is child sex trafficking.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 246, a bill ``To Improve The Response To Victims Of Child Sex Trafficking,'' which broadens the issues to be reported on the federal tip line on Internet-related child sexual exploitation run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to explicitly include child sex trafficking--specifically, by replacing the term ``child prostitution'' with the term ``child sex trafficking, including child prostitution.'' Trafficking in humans is a major problem across the globe and in our own country. As lawmakers, we have a moral responsibility to combat this scourge and protect our children, especially those without parents to care for them, from being exploited and falling through the cracks. As the Founder and Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I understand how important it is to defend those who are too young to defend themselves. This problem is personal for me because according to the U.S. Department of Justice, my home city of Houston, Texas is the epicenter of human trafficking in the United States with over 200 active brothels in Houston and two new ones opening each month. Houston has also surpassed Las Vegas for the dubious distinction of having the most strip clubs and illicit spas serving as fronts for sex trafficking. Human trafficking in Texas is not limited to Houston. During the 2011 Dallas Super Bowl, 133 underage arrests for prostitution were made and during this year's massive effort ``Operation Cross Country'' led by the FBI, several pimps were arrested. Between 1998 and 2003 more than 500 people from 18 countries were ensnared in 57 forced labor operations in almost a dozen cities throughout the State of Texas. The Justice Department's Internet Crimes against Children Task Force (which coordinates with 61 federal, state and local law enforcement task forces) reports that the number of child victims of prostitution increased by more than 900% between 2004 and 2008. Currently, our state child welfare systems do not properly identify and help the children that have been taken by this horrible industry. Even more disturbing is that the protections provided by our child welfare systems often do not extend to young victims of trafficking. Hard as it is to believe, in some states trafficked youths are not even regarded or classified as victims. Rather, they are treated as youthful offenders and consigned to the criminal justice system. These kids are not criminals. They are victims, robbed of their innocence by adult criminals. They are boys and girls who have been taken advantage of and are unable to escape an ugly system. I support H.R. 246 because it is focused on using technology to minimize the sex trafficking of vulnerable children and empowers people by giving the opportunity and means to report suspicious activity. Under current law, the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) provides an annual grant to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for a range of activities, including running a tip line that allows online users and Internet service providers to report Internet-related child sexual exploitation. This tip line includes reports on child pornography, online enticement of children for sexual acts, child prostitution, sex tourism involving children, extra familial child sexual molestation, unsolicited obscene material sent to a child, misleading domain names and misleading words or digital images on the Internet. I strongly support H.R. 246 and urge my colleague to join me in voting for its passage which will help bring an end to the evil practice that is child sex trafficking.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson), an active and committed member of the House Judiciary Committee and ranking member on the Commercial Subcommittee.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am glad that the manager, Congressman Poe, set the tone again for the vigorousness of the bipartisanship around what all of us want, which is to, in essence, cut out the cancers of human trafficking and sex trafficking. Let me first of all congratulate Mr. Poe, Judge Poe, a Texan whose language I can fully understand, as well as his partner, Congresswoman Maloney. Over the years, she has championed the rights of women and the empowerment of our children: what a great partnership, Judge Poe and Congresswoman Maloney. I am delighted to join with them in my commitment to fighting human trafficking and sex trafficking in supporting H.R. 181, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2014, marked up in the Judiciary Committee. Many amendments were accepted, and so this bill has a holistic approach. I am also glad that we did not run away from this issue in Houston, as we convened a hearing that I called for with my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to openly and forthrightly listen to law enforcement, people who had been victimized, adults who are still suffering from what had happened to them as a child. This hearing was held in March. It was a field hearing, titled, ``Combating Human Trafficking in Our Major Cities.'' It was a fitting venue because, regrettably, Houston has been noted as a human trafficking hub in the United States. But it was the important contributions of my colleagues, many on the floor today, who added to the record to begin to craft or to continue to work on important legislation such as the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. I am glad that we are here again to move it so it can ultimately be signed by the President of the United States. At that hearing, we heard testimony from Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials regarding an operation the day before in which they discovered and rescued 115 from a packed, rancid stash house in south Harris County. It was not completely vetted as to whether or not all of the individuals in the stash house or some of the individuals or a few were victims of human trafficking or sex trafficking. I would venture to say that their future would not be a future worthy of promoting. Ninety-nine of those victims were men, 16 were women, one of whom was pregnant, and 19 others were juveniles. You wonder what would happen to the juveniles. I went to that stash house. It was a terrible scene. All of them had been kidnapped and smuggled into the United States. And as previously said, human trafficking, sex trafficking, is a great business for those who are of that kind of vile mind because they can use them and use them and use juveniles over and over again, some of whom, however, have been driven to such low ends of the Earth, meaning the victims, that their life is ruined. Some have probably been driven to suicide. Trafficking of any human being, especially domestic child trafficking, has no place in civilized society. The term ``slavery'' has often been used. And it is true that slavery exists around the world. We need to ensure that State and local law enforcement agencies have the tools, resources, and training necessary to identify, apprehend, and prosecute criminals who ruthlessly traffic in children. These children have suffered the worst imaginable trauma, and as a result, they require and are deserving of comprehensive and tailored services to assist in their recovery. We need to ensure that funding is in place to provide for such comprehensive services. This bill is an essential step toward combating the crisis of domestic minor sex trafficking and helping survivors begin their lives anew. Throughout this afternoon, we have said that they have to have an opportunity to change their lives. While the rescue of trafficking victims is necessary, so is the prosecution of traffickers. While we habitually refer to those who solicit commercial sex acts from minors as ``customers'' and ``johns,'' and I have said this before on the floor, the cold, hard fact is that these people are nothing more than child rapists. We need to stop being polite and call them what they are--child rapists. Let us not let them hide behind polite names such as ``john,'' particularly when they prey on our children. Federal courts have interpreted the existing statute, title 18 U.S.C. section 1591, to cover the acts of patronizing and soliciting. Therefore, the specifications of the terms ``patronize'' and ``solicit'' in this bill simply clarify and emphasize the fact that these actions are actually covered. Those who patronize and solicit are already criminally liable under the language contained in the original text of section 1591. Under this legislation, a child rapist will no longer be able to find refuge in any jurisdiction. This bill will also promote the coordination of investigations among Federal, State, and local law enforcement and enhance reporting data for missing children--everything that the witnesses at the March 2014 hearing told us call for this. Let me say that I am also grateful that this bill emphasizes the local, State, and Federal collaboration. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, which is what the hearing was held under, under the auspices of the Homeland Security Committee, we recognize that is part of the threat to national security. The utilizing of our children, the victimizing of our children, the co-opting of our children, the soliciting of our children, and this bill gets right at the target. Human trafficking is the second fastest growing criminal industry in the world, generating over $32 billion annually. This bill is the most comprehensive piece of legislation to deal with this problem over the years, and it is a great foundation to continue to build, to weed out every nuance, every person hiding behind the rock who is dealing in sex trafficking and human trafficking. For years, we have labeled child victims of sex trafficking as prostitutes and juvenile delinquents rather than the victims that they are. We have seen runaways and we have condemned them for being a runaway, but we don't know the horrible stories and what they have experienced. They are victims of criminal conduct, and we need to treat them that way--not prostitutes, not juvenile delinquents. This bill recognizes and treats victims as victims, provides for more services and shelters for them, and provides resources to law enforcement, child welfare, health care officials, and others who will come into contact with them. One of the early organizations, the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which I have associated with throughout my entire time in the House of Representatives, early on raised the clarion call that we must do something about these exploited and missing children. I know that they are celebrating as we have been on the floor talking about human trafficking and sex trafficking. So, Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the Judiciary Committee saw fit to adopt section 11 in H.R. 181, the Jackson Lee amendment, which expresses a sense of Congress that human trafficking has no place in a civilized society and that perpetrators of such vile acts should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and we can build on this for finding those who may be thinking that they are squeezing outside the law. Mr. Speaker, as a global leader in combating global trafficking throughout the world, the United States must hold all nations to the same standards by which we hold ourselves. The demand for commercial sex is a primary cause of the human rights violation of human trafficking. Elimination of that violation requires elimination of that demand. I am glad that we are here confronting it head-on, and I ask my colleagues to support the underlying legislation. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 181, the ``Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015.'' Madam Speaker, last year, on March 20, 2014, the Homeland Security Committee, of which I am a member, held a field hearing titled, ``Combatting Human Trafficking in Our Major Cities,'' in my home city of Houston. It was a fitting venue because, regrettably, Houston is a human trafficking hub of the United States. At that hearing my colleagues, Chairman McCaul, Judge Poe, Congressman Al Green, Congressman Farenthold, and I heard testimony from Federal, state and local law enforcement officials regarding an operation the day before during which they discovered and rescued 115 people from a packed, rancid stash house in south Harris County. 99 of those victims were men, 16 were women, one of whom was pregnant, and 19 were juveniles. All of them had been kidnapped and smuggled into the United States. Trafficking of any human being, especially domestic child trafficking, has no place in civilized society. We need to ensure that state and local law enforcement agencies have the tools, resources, and training necessary to identify, apprehend, and prosecute criminals who ruthlessly traffic in children. These children have suffered the worst imaginable trauma, and as a result, they require and are deserving of comprehensive and tailored services to assist in their recovery. We need to ensure that funding is in place to provide for such comprehensive services. This bill is an essential step toward combatting the crisis of domestic minor sex trafficking and helping survivors begin their lives anew. While the rescue of trafficking victims is necessary, so is the prosecution of traffickers. And while we habitually refer to those who solicit commercial sex acts from minors as ``customers'' and ``johns,'' the cold, hard fact is that these people are nothing more than ``child rapists.'' We need to stop being polite and call them what they are-- ``child rapists''! Federal courts have interpreted the existing statute, Title 18 United States Code, section 1591, to cover the acts of patronizing and soliciting. Therefore, the specifications of the terms ``patronizing'' and ``solicit'' in this bill simply clarify and emphasize the fact that these actions are actually covered. Those who patronize and solicit are already criminally liable under the language contained in the original section 1591. Under this legislation, child rapists will find no refuge in any jurisdiction. This bill will also promote the coordination of investigations among federal, state and local law enforcement and enhance reporting data for missing children--everything that the witnesses at the March 2014 Houston field hearing called for. Human Trafficking is the second fastest growing criminal industry in the world, generating over $32 billion annually. This bill is the most comprehensive piece of legislation to deal with that problem in years. For years we have labeled child victims of sex trafficking as prostitutes and juvenile delinquents rather than as the victims they are. They are victims of criminal conduct, and we need to treat them that way. This bill recognizes that and treats victims as victims, provides for more services and shelters for them, and provides resources to law enforcement, child welfare, healthcare officials and others who will come into contact with these victims. Finally, Madam Speaker, I am very pleased that the Judiciary Committee saw fit to adopt as Section 11 of H.R. 181 the Jackson Lee Amendment which expresses the Sense of Congress that human trafficking has no place in a civilized society and that perpetrators of such vile acts should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Madam Speaker, as the global leader in combatting human trafficking throughout the world, the United States must hold all nations to the same standards to which we hold ourselves. The demand for commercial sex is a primary cause of the human right violation of human trafficking. Elimination of that violation requires the elimination of that demand. I received yet more tragic illustration of the global horrors of human trafficking as recently as last evening during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Jamaica. Last year Jamaica improved its position in the U.S. State Department's Annual Trafficking in Persons (``TIP'') Report after it passed amendments to its Trafficking in Persons Act. Those amendments stipulated harsher penalties for offenders with penalties of up to 30 years. Despite this new legislation, Jamaican children subjected to sex trafficking in the country's sex trade remains a serious problem with reports of sex trafficking of children and adults occurring on streets and in night clubs, bars, and private homes. The Jamaican government realizes that it must move more vigorously to not only prosecute, convict and punish trafficking offenders, but to also identify, and assist more victims. Madam Speaker, while it is entirely proper for the United States to hold all nations to the same standard to which we hold ourselves, it is also entirely proper for the United States to lend assistance to those nations that may lack the resources needed to effectively combat Human Trafficking. I hope that we will give consideration to providing such assistance in future anti-human trafficking legislation. Finally, Madam Speaker, I must also thank Representative Poe and his staff as well as Committee staff on both sides of the aisle for working together to address a point raised by an amendment that Rep. Poe offered and withdrew during the bill's markup. The changes that were made to the bill as a result of that collaborative work yielded some real improvements to the bill. For these reasons I support H.R. 181 and encourage my colleagues to do likewise. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), who, as I indicated, has worked unceasingly on empowering the most vulnerable, particularly in her work on empowering women, vulnerable women around the world, providing them rights, and, of course, the work she has done in collaboration with Congressman Poe and our committee in her work on this bill.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlelady.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I join my colleagues today in honoring, recognizing, and respecting those who traveled through the devastation and horror of the Holocaust. To those who lost their lives, I prayerfully mourn them. For those who survived, I champion them and thank them and make a commitment as we have done as brothers and sisters, Republicans and Democrats, and as Americans: Never again. I rise as well to speak of the heinousness of the acts of Boko Haram and the killing and murderous acts against innocent children in Nigeria. We must stand together and act against this crisis. We must recognize that this bloodshed will not stop. I am grateful that Secretary Kerry is in Nigeria and collaborating on what the next steps are. I want to thank the United States military, which has provided insight and cooperation. But, Madam Speaker, there needs to be more. We need to have a waiver of some of the provisions dealing with utilization and collaboration in the Nigerian military. We must ask them to do what is right. We cannot sit by while the bloodletting Boko Haram continues to kill women and children across Nigeria. Enough--it must stop now.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, I rise in strong support of H.R. 514, ``Human Trafficking Prioritization Act.'' I support this bipartisan legislation which amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to change the status of the State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to that of the Bureau to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Mr. Speaker, this change in the name of this vital office can be accomplished without an increase in funding or personnel. H.R. 514, a bipartisan Foreign Affairs Committee bipartisan bill, directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on each current Assistant Secretary of State position the exact title and length of designation as Assistant Secretary, and whether that designation was legislatively mandated or authorized and, if so, the relevant statutory citation; and Further, the Secretary State is asked whether they intend to designate one of the Assistant Secretary of State positions as the Assistant Secretary of State to Combat Trafficking in Persons, and the reasons for that decision. I have a concern regarding the bill's amendment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to prohibit subsequent inclusion for more than one consecutive year on the special watch list of countries whose compliance with minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking is full, partial, or insignificant if the country: was included on the list for four consecutive years after enactment of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, and was subsequently included on the exclusive Tier 3 list of countries not making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with such standards. It is important that the mechanisms for reaching determinations regarding compliance with anti-human trafficking measures are consistent and reliable over time. There should be care taken that places around the globe with long histories of human trafficking do not find ways limit access to information that would better measure their progress in eradicating the practice and bring to justice those involved. According to the Report, the most common form of human trafficking (79%) is sexual exploitation. The victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly women and girls. Surprisingly, in 30% of the countries which provided information on the gender of traffickers, women make up the largest proportion of traffickers. In some parts of the world, women trafficking women is the norm. The second most common form of human trafficking is forced labour (18%), although this may be a misrepresentation because forced labor is less frequently detected and reported than trafficking for sexual exploitation. Globally about 20% of all trafficking victims are children. Unfortunately in parts of Africa children are the majority, these numbers rise to 100% in some parts of West Africa. Many of those who are victims of human trafficking are exploited in locations near their home. According to the 2009 United National Report on ``Human Trafficking Exposes Modern Form of Slavery'' research reveals that internal regional and domestic trafficking are a source of the problems. The United Nations Protocol against Trafficking in Persons reports that in the past few years the number of Member States seriously implementing the Protocol has doubled going from 54 to 125 out of the 155 nations. In 2009, there were many countries that lacked the necessary legal framework or political will to take on the issue of human trafficking. I join my colleagues in working to strengthen laws nationally and internationally against human trafficking, and supporting the allocation of resources toward that end. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of H.R. 514.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, I rise in strong support of H.R. 357, the ``Human Trafficking Prevention Act.'' Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for their stewardship in bringing this legislation to the floor and for their commitment to expanding the training and capability of federal government personnel in detecting and combating human trafficking and assisting its victims. Throughout my tenure in Congress and a founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I have advocated on behalf of victims of human trafficking, especially children, who are the most vulnerable and innocent victims. I am also committed to ensuring that law enforcement agencies have the tools, resources, and training necessary to identify, apprehend, and prosecute criminals who ruthlessly traffic in people. H.R. 357 strengthens the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 by amending it to require training related to trafficking in persons for all State Department personnel. Specifically, the bill requires the following: 1. A distance learning course on trafficking in persons issues and the Department of State's obligations under the Act to be completed by embassy reporting officers, regional bureaus' trafficking in persons coordinators, and their supervisors; 2. Specific trafficking-in-persons briefings for all ambassadors and deputy chiefs of mission before they depart for their posts; and 3. Annual reminders to all such personnel and other federal personnel at each diplomatic or consular post of the Department of State located outside the United States of key human trafficking problems, threats, methods, and warning signs. This legislation does for the State Department what the Jackson Lee Amendment to H.R. 4660, ``Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act for 2015,'' approved by the House in the last Congress does for the Justice Department. That amendment, adopted in May 2014 by the House, provides another tool in law enforcement's arsenal to tip the balance in favor of victims by ensuring funding for the Attorney General to provide training for State and local law enforcement agencies on immigration law that may be useful for the investigation and prosecution of crimes related to trafficking in persons. Mr. Speaker, trafficking in humans, and especially child trafficking, has no place in a civilized society and those who engage in this illicit trade should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. To effectively combat human trafficking, we need to provide resources and training to government personnel to assist victims and apprehend criminals. By providing the necessary training and support, we will catch more human trafficking criminals and save lives, and prevent many other persons, including children, from becoming human trafficking victims. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 357, the Human Trafficking Prevention Act.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. It is fitting today to remember those who experienced the depth of human cruelty in that camp and all other Nazi concentration camps. It is estimated that over one million prisoners perished at the Auschwitz concentration camp over the five years that it was operational. I grieve for those lost souls, but I give thanks for the 7,500 prisoners who were liberated 70 years ago today. The stories of those survivors ensure that we remain vigilant and dedicated to combating hatred and oppression in all its forms. For that reason, I would also like to bring attention to the ongoing massacres and human rights violations being carried out by the militant terrorist organization Boko Haram in Nigeria. Just like the actions of the Nazis during World War II, the actions of Boko Haram today are an affront to human life and dignity. From their first violent uprising in 2009, to the massacre in Baga less than one month ago, Boko Haram has been waging a war that has cost an estimated 10,000 lives, and displaced more than one million people. I thank Secretary Kerry for his active role in supporting the Nigerians in their efforts to combat Boko Haram. I also thank the United States military, for providing the Nigerian military with trainers and specialists to aid them. But there needs to be more. These atrocities must not be permitted to continue, and we must do everything within our power to stop the kidnapping and killing of innocent men, women, and children across Nigeria.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, I rise in strong support of H.R. 468, ``Homeless Victims of Youth Trafficking Act of 2015.'' I support this bipartisan legislation which amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 by inserting the phrase ``sever forms of trafficking in persons'' and including ``youth who are victims of trafficking,'' in the definitions for the law. Mr. Speaker, trafficking in persons is an inconceivable, callous and inhumane crime that unquestionably deserves the nation's utmost attention. It is particularly difficult to see the victimization of the very young who are sold or tricked into becoming victims of Human Trafficking. I join my colleagues is working to strengthen laws against human trafficking, and supporting the allocation of resources to further the efforts of law enforcement and aid agencies in identification of youth victims and provide vital support to preventing further victimization and to reclaim the lives of the most vulnerable among us--our children from traffickers. It is estimated 2.8 million children living on the streets of this nation are at risk for trafficking into the sex industry. Children who are abused or victims of molestation are most vulnerable. If they are lured into human trafficking they are isolated from the rest of the world and start living lives controlled by pimps, escort and massage services, private dancing clubs, pornographic clubs and much worse. The work of the authors of this bill contribute to raising public awareness must be at the forefront of our hearts and minds and these unlawful, immoral traffickers, beyond a doubt must unavoidably be brought to justice. We must seek them out and press them from our society by standing up together with a collective voice saying, ``Human trafficking stops today, right now, with us.'' Mr. Speaker, I along with my Colleagues on the Committee on Homeland Security held a field hearing in Houston Texas last year on the issue of Human Trafficking. The day before that hearing local law enforcement with support from federal law enforcement agencies raided a house where suspected victims of human trafficking were being held. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Houston, Texas is one of the nation's largest hubs for human trafficking, with over 200 active brothels in Houston and two new ones opening each month. In 2006, the Department of Justice National Conference on Human Trafficking identified the I-10 corridor as one of the main routes for traffickers. Interstate I-10 links the major Texas urban areas Houston, San Antonio and El Paso and dozens of mid- and small sized towns in between. Mr. Speaker, one of the most important things that can and must continue to be done is to raise public awareness and force the activity of traffickers and their victims out of the shadows into the light. Raising the visibility and status of the governmental entities charged with the responsibility of documenting the problems, successes, and remaining challenges confronting the United States and the international community in eradicating the scourge of human trafficking is a positive step forward in achieving this goal. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of H.R. 468.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support H.R. 469, the ``Strengthening Our Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act of 2015,'' which strengthens the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (Pub. L. 93-247) by requiring that state plans for federal grants for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs include elements focused on human trafficking. Trafficking in humans is a major problem across the globe and in our own country. As lawmakers, we have a moral responsibility to combat this scourge and protect our children, especially those without parents to care for them, from being exploited and falling through the cracks. As the Founder and Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I understand how important it is to defend those who are too young to defend themselves. This problem is personal for me because according to the U.S. Department of Justice, my home city of Houston, Texas is the epicenter of human trafficking in the United States with over 200 active brothels in Houston and two new ones opening each month. Houston has also surpassed Las Vegas for the dubious distinction of having the most strip clubs and illicit spas serving as fronts for sex trafficking. Human trafficking in Texas is not limited to Houston. During the 2011 Dallas Super Bowl, 133 underage arrests for prostitution were made and during this year's massive effort ``Operation Cross Country'' led by the FBI, several pimps were arrested. Between 1998 and 2003 more than 500 people from 18 countries were ensnared in 57 forced labor operations in almost a dozen cities throughout the State of Texas. Currently, our state child welfare systems do not properly identify and help the children that have been taken by this horrible industry. Even more disturbing is that the protections provided by our child welfare systems often do not extend to young victims of trafficking. Hard as it is to believe, in some states trafficked youths are not even regarded or classified as victims. Houston is a popular trafficking hub in part because the city is so diverse, with large Hispanic, Asian and Middle Eastern populations, which allows traffickers and their victims to blend into local communities. A recent report estimated that 25% of all trafficking victims in the U.S. end up in Texas. Rather, they are treated as youthful offenders and consigned to the criminal justice system. The city is so diverse, the traffickers and victims easily blend into the community. The TIP Report also contains tier rankings of each country on which it reports, which are used to help protect victims, prevent trafficking and prosecute traffickers. According to a report published in the Northwestern Journal of International Human Rights, Mexican authorities are working to address the problem of trans-border human trafficking, but the country's ``legal framework remains largely untouched and hence limited in its crime-fighting scope and effectiveness.'' According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Houston, Texas is one of the nation's largest hubs for human trafficking, with over 200 active brothels in Houston and two new ones opening each month. Human trafficking in Texas is not limited to Houston. During the 2011 Dallas Super Bowl, 133 underage arrests for prostitution were made and during this year's massive effort ``Operation Cross Country'' led by the FBI, several pimps were arrested. In general The Center shall carry out the following activities: 1. Receive information on travel by child-sex offenders. 2. Establish a system to maintain and archive all relevant information, including the response of destination countries to notifications under subsection where available, and decisions not to transmit notification abroad. 3. Establish an annual review process to ensure that the Center is consistent in procedures to provide notification to destination countries or not to provide notification to destination countries, as appropriate. Mr. Speaker, one of the most important things that can and must continue to be done is to raise public awareness of the continuing prevalence of modern day slavery and human trafficking. Such identification requires cooperative efforts between the United States and foreign governments. In exchange for providing notice of child-sex offenders traveling to the United States, foreign authorities will expect United States authorities to provide reciprocal notice of child-sex offenders traveling to their countries. Raising the visibility and status of the governmental entity charged with the responsibility of documenting the problems, successes, and remaining challenges confronting the United States and the international community in eradicating the scourge of human trafficking is a positive step forward in achieving this goal. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of H.R. 469.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sex trafficking is the fastest growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world. The scourge of our society is estimated to be a $9 billion industry in the United States and as much as a $30 billion industry worldwide. All of the criminals and all of those who wish to do wrong realize that it is a bigger and better business than drugs because, tragically and unfortunately and with great sadness, they use their product over and over again. They use these innocent persons, many women, many children, many boys, over and over again. Because this criminal activity rarely occurs in public view, it is difficult to say exactly how many children are being victimized. What we do know, however, is that the problem is extensive. All you have to do is walk along any of the streets of major cities and find homeless teenagers, or even younger than that, and you will find out that in some way they have been tainted and touched and brutalized by sex trafficking. Madam Speaker, an estimated 290,000 American children are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that one of every seven endangered runaways who reported to the center are likely victims of minor sex trafficking. I am told that the average age of minors entering the sex trade is between 12 and 14 years old. Vulnerable youth are primary targets. They are more easily lured into prostitution and other forms of child exploitation, while runaways and children in foster care are especially vulnerable. Child victims of sex trafficking can and do come from a type of home or socioeconomic background that makes them particularly, if you will, in the line of fire. The bottom line, however, Madam Speaker, is that all of these children are deserving of rescue, recovery, protection, and shelter. One of the advocacies that I had in my own hometown was to provide for children in foster care that had aged out, because those are likely victims, unbeknownst to themselves, and they are worthy of saving. The bill before us, H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015, is an important step toward pursuing traffickers and those who solicit the services of trafficked individuals. It mandates a review of Federal and State prevention activities by the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, and this review is to be done in consultation with nongovernmental organizations. That is a great partnership. The purpose of this review is to identify best practices in the prevention of trafficking. This study, along with the mandated GAO, will provide much-needed intelligence to be shared among those Federal, State, and local agencies dedicated to combating sex trafficking. And might I add, Madam Speaker, that what is also needed is a commitment, an investment of resources, to not just have the studies but to make sure that we match the importance of this legislation with resources. Witnesses testified at a Homeland Security Committee field hearing in Houston in March of last year, which I convened and brought Members of Congress to Houston for, which has a particularly serious problem. First, one of the biggest limitations on the ability of area law enforcement agencies to successfully combat human trafficking in and around Houston is a lack of data sharing. Another witness said we-- local enforcement--need the Feds to build a Houston trafficking regional database accessible only to vice and human trafficking personnel to store, share, and search data on all aspects of Houston- area human trafficking investigations. Madam Speaker, the need for the information that will be collected by the GAO study and the Interagency Task Force to monitor and combat trafficking is not only needed, it is long overdue. This bill also addresses a major concern that anti-trafficking advocates have shared with me--the lack of housing or shelter for survivors. Trafficked kids need a way out, someplace to escape. Without such refuge, these children will return to their traffickers, and their traffickers will be waiting for them. This bill provides funding for local shelters so they get the support they need to house survivors and to get these young people started on the path to recovery. Today, we are considering several bills that address domestic minor sex trafficking, and it is right that we do all we can to protect our children. Most statistics indicate that the average age of a female when she is first victimized in human trafficking is a very young year of age. With this fact alone, we can understand why the majority of Federal investigations and prosecutions of trafficking involve minors. One of the statements we made on the floor today with all of these bills is that the minors are victims--they are not the criminals--and they need to be saved. That is what we are committing to. I will share with you the testimony of another witness at last year's field hearing. The witness said: Many of the females my officers are encountering on the streets, in the massage parlors, at the strip clubs, and on the Internet sites are typically 18 to 21. We know from experience that, while these young women may be adults now, they have, with all likelihood, been under the control of a pimp trafficker for many years. Madam Speaker, I met those women. Yes, they have been under the horrible domination of these traffickers for many years, and some were sold by their parents. We need to take definitive steps to ensure that this group of victims does not fall through the cracks because we are focusing on the minors. We do this by ensuring that the laws we pass and the supportive assistance we establish are also available to these older young women. In closing, Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act. I compliment the sponsors and cosponsors, and I encourage them to remember that there are still those other victims of human trafficking who are equally deserving of our consideration and protection. While we will accomplish much in combating human trafficking by our actions today, let us commit ourselves to doing more. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 350, the ``Human Trafficking Prevention, Intervention and Recovery Act of 2015.'' According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sex trafficking is the fastest growing business of organized crime, and the third largest criminal enterprise in the world. This scourge of our society is estimated to be a $9.8 billion industry in the United States and as much as a $30 billion industry worldwide. Because this criminal activity rarely occurs in public view, it is difficult to say exactly how many children are being victimized. What we do know, however, is that the problem is extensive. Madam Speaker, an estimated 290,000 American children are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that one of every seven endangered runaways reported to the Center are likely victims of minor sex trafficking. I am told that the average age of minors entering the sex trade is between 12 and 14 years. Vulnerable youth are primary targets. They are more easily lured into prostitution and other forms of child exploitation, and while runaways and children in foster care are especially vulnerable, child victims of sex trafficking can and do come from any type of home or socioeconomic background. The bottom line, however, Madam Speaker, is that all of these children are deserving of rescue, recovery, protection and shelter. The bill before us, H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking, Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery Act of 2015, is an important step toward pursuing traffickers and those who solicit the services of trafficked individuals. It mandates a review of federal and state prevention activities by the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, and this review is to be done in consultation with nongovernmental organizations. The purpose of this review is to identify best practices in the prevention of trafficking. This study, along with the mandated GAO will provide much-needed intelligence to be shared among those federal, state and local agencies dedicated to combatting sex trafficking. Witnesses at a Homeland Security Committee field hearing held in Houston in March of last year testified, First, one of the biggest limitations on the ability of area law enforcement agencies to successfully combat Human Trafficking in and around Houston is our lack of data sharing. Another witness stated, We (local law enforcement) need the feds to build a Houston Trafficking Regional Database, accessible only to Vice/Human Trafficking personnel to store, share, and search data on all aspects of Houston area Human Trafficking investigations. Madam Speaker, the need for the information that will be collected by the GAO study and the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking is not only needed. It is long overdue! This bill also addresses a major concern that anti-trafficking advocates have shared with me--the lack of housing or shelter for survivors. Trafficked kids need a way out, some place to escape to. Without such a refuge, these children will return to their traffickers. This bill provides the funding for local shelters to get the support they need to house survivors and get these young people started on the path to recovery. Madam Speaker, today we are considering several bills that address domestic minor sex trafficking, and it is right that we do all we can to protect our children. Most statistics indicate that the average age of a female when she is first victimized into Human Trafficking is years old. For this fact alone, we can understand why the majority of federal investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking involve minors. I must share with you, however, the testimony of another witness at last year's field Houston field hearing. That witness said, . . . (many of the females that my officers are encountering on the streets, in the massage parlors and strip clubs, and on the internet sites are typically age 18-21. We know from experience that while these young women may be adults now, they have, in all likelihood been under the control of a pimp/trafficker for many years. We need to take definitive steps to ensure that this group of `victims' does not fall through the cracks because we are focusing on the minors by ensuring that the laws we pass and the support/ assistance we establish is also available to these young women. In closing, Madam Speaker I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 350, the Human Trafficking, Prevention, Intervention and Recovery Act of 2015, and I encourage them to remember that there are still those other victims of human trafficking who are equally deserving of our consideration and protection. While we will accomplish much in combating human trafficking by our actions today, there is still much more to be done. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as I have no further requests for time, I will just close by saying our children need our response. They are suffering. It is important that we work together to minimally provide them with the shelter that they need and with the resources that they need to eliminate the scourge of human trafficking and sex trafficking. With that, I ask for the support of the underlying legislation, H.R. 350. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The manager, Mr. Sensenbrenner, is right. These are certainly both cases and legislation that, one, we are appalled at with the case studies that we have seen and with the legislation that we seek in a bipartisan manner to solve that exploitation. I rise in support of H.R. 159, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2015. The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act is another weapon in the war against sex trafficking in our country. Madam Speaker, we are truly at war. As we stand here today, some child is being sex-trafficked--some runaway who is away from her family, not able to be found, not finding a place of refuge--falling into the deadly hands, if you will, of someone who will take advantage of her almost for the rest of her life. In Houston, I met women who had engaged in or who had been subjected to that in the early part of their lives, and they will tell you how it follows them for a long, long time, so they subject themselves to drugs and alcohol to eliminate the pain. This bill contains important victim-based initiatives to help combat sex trafficking. One of those initiatives, the national safe harbor law, is essential to making sure that victims of sex trafficking are not criminalized but, instead, are diverted to Child Protective Services. Only 12 States have safe harbor laws for minor victims of sex trafficking. That is far too few. Obviously, we need all 50 States to have this safe harbor. My colleagues, there is no such thing as a child prostitute. There are only child victims of rape. Children cannot give consent. There is no such thing as a child prostitute. Likewise, it is illegal for adults to have sex with children, children who by their very ages are under the age of consent. Sex with a minor, again, is rape. The seriousness of the offense is not diminished by having the john pay for the sex, making him feel good. It is still rape. It is time we stopped referring to the customer--the person having sex with a child--with such a polite title as a ``john.'' In addition, we must label those who provide the johns with children, with minors, as what they are--horrific and horrible and vile criminals. The person who is the john is a rapist, a child rapist. We must punish those who prey on the vulnerable, and that includes not only the pimps and the traffickers, but also the rapists. On the other hand, in an effort to help their recovery, we must not continue to victimize the victims. This bill empowers victims by providing for a national hotline to request help. The importance of this national hotline must not be underestimated. In my earlier statement, I spoke of a field hearing that I convened last March in Houston as a member of the Homeland Security Committee. During that hearing, Mr. McClelland, the chief of the Houston Police Department, testified that an 18-year-old victim of human trafficking contacted the national hotline asking for help to escape her violent pimp. The young victim had been forced to have sex with a john who ended up stabbing her and leaving without paying any money--a stabbing. She was fearful and wanted to get the money. It was a horrible situation. While her injuries were not life threatening, she did require medical attention for her injuries. However, the pimp refused to take her to get medical treatment, and she owed him to make up the money that the previous john who stabbed her did not pay. Vice's human trafficking unit received the information from hotline personnel and were able to contact, locate, and rescue the young female. They also arrested the pimp and charged him with felony of compelling prostitution. Madam Speaker, I wish there was a harsher charge, but it was good work by the local law enforcement. Madam Speaker, this story ends well. The young victim was reunited with family members that same day. This case serves as a great example of how law enforcement and nongovernmental organizations can successfully work together to not only rescue victims of human trafficking, but also arrest the perpetrators of this crime and get them off the street and away from other victims who are still out there. H.R. 159 also helps victims obtain restitution, and this is what I like: it puts them back on the right track by giving them eligibility for the Job Corps program, where we have seen lives turn around. It wants to say to them: You are valuable, you are worthy, and you have a future. This bill will help ensure that all victims of sex trafficking are treated as victims in every State and every jurisdiction. For these reasons, I join with my colleague, Mr. Sensenbrenner, and urge my colleagues to support this legislation as well. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 159, the ``Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act of 2015.'' The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act is another weapon in the war against sex trafficking in our country. This bill contains important victim-based initiatives to help combat sex trafficking. One of those initiatives, the National Safe Harbor Law, is essential to making sure that victims of sex trafficking are not criminalized, but instead are diverted to child protective services. Only 12 states have safe harbor laws for minor victims of sex trafficking. My colleagues, there is no such thing as a ``child prostitute''; there are only child victims of rape. Likewise, it is illegal for adults to have sex with children who, by their very age, are under the age of consent. Sex with a minor is rape! The seriousness of the offense is not diminished by having the ``john'' pay for the sex. It is still rape, and it's time we stopped referring to the customer, the person having sex with a child, with such a polite title as a ``john.'' He is a rapist, a child rapist! We must punish those who prey on the vulnerable, and that includes not only the pimps and traffickers but also the rapists. On the other hand, we must not continue to victimize the victims. In an effort to help their recovery, this bill empowers victims with a national hotline to request help. The importance of this national hotline must not be underestimated. In my earlier statement, I spoke of a field hearing that the Committee on Homeland Security held in Houston in March of last year. During that hearing Mr. Charles McClelland, Jr, Chief of Police, of the Houston Police Department, testified, . . . an 18 year old female victim of Human Trafficking . . . contacted the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline asking for help to escape her violent pimp. The young victim had been forced to have sex with a ``john'' who ended up stabbing her and leaving without paying her any money. While her injuries were not life threatening, she did require medical attention for her injuries, however, the pimp refused to take her to get medical treatment until she earner him more money to make up for the money that the previous ``john'' did not pay. Vice/Human Trafficking Unit personnel received the information from Hotline personnel, and were able to contact, locate, and rescue the young female, and also arrest the pimp and charge him with felony compelling prostitution. Madam Speaker, this story ends well. This young victim was reunited with family members that same day. This case serves as a great example of how law enforcement and non-governmental organizations can successfully work together to not only rescue victims of Human Trafficking, but also arrest the perpetrators of this crime and get them off the street and away from other victims who are still out there. H.R. 159 also helps victims obtain restitution and grants them eligibility for Job Corps programs. This bill will help ensure that all victims of sex trafficking are treated as victims in every state and in every jurisdiction. For these reasons I support this bill and urge my colleagues to support it as well. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), who has championed these bills.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. In closing, we have all come today with an important project, and that is to help save our children. I wouldn't want to leave this very important bill that talks about saving our children from sex trafficking without letting our colleagues know that we want every possible act of human trafficking to be reported at 1-866-347-2423. We want those who are victims to know that they can seek help, too, at 1-888-373-7888. The statement we are making is that we are doing everything we can to extinguish and eliminate this heinous tragedy in our country. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation and to recognize that we must stop exploitation through trafficking. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 159, and I yield back the balance of my time.